Blade of Sorrow
by Ghost501
Summary: Annabeth recalls closing the Doors of Death and losing the one permanent thing in her life.


Well, nothing more I can say about this except enjoy. Only a couple more months until _House of Hades_ comes out!

* * *

It had been a year. A whole year since it had happened. However, it didn't matter how long it had been since the event, the pain was just as bad as it was the day before and the day before that.

'_Percy.'_ Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut, desperate to not let any tears escape from her eyes. Even after he had been long gone, she still hadn't been able to hear his name without crying. The logical side of her told her to get over it. Too move with her life while she still had the chance. But if it was one thing Annabeth knew, she knew that love wasn't logical. Yes, even after a year, Annabeth still loved the Hero of Olympus, heck, the Hero of the World, Perseus Jackson.

Despite constantly being nagged by her mother to find someone else, Annabeth could never bring herself to love another the same way she loved Percy. She couldn't describe it other than feeling utter guilt for betraying the one she truly loved. Annabeth knelt down on the ground. The beach sand felt warm on her skin; but, to her, she felt utterly cold. A dark feeling enclosed around her heart as the memory of her love's death once again resurfaced from the suppressed part in her brain.

* * *

"_Come on! We have to go now!" Annabeth yelled._

_She and Percy ran to the Doors of Death. Up close, the obsidian doors radiated with power. Both demigods felt their breath shorten, not because of its magnificence but because of its sheer power. Annabeth fought back the memory of holding the sky during her captured state all those years ago. This was no time to recall painful pasts, especially when those experiences could be magnified to an untold degree if they did not close the doors._

_Annabeth looked back at Percy. His clothes were slashed. His eyes sunken and their brilliant shine gone. Annabeth had missed their glow in Tartarus. Despite his resolve, Percy had become somewhat broken in Tarturus. His laugh came out as a more forced response, that whenever he ever did laugh. Annabeth sighed to herself. She knew she must have not looked much better. She just hoped that the two of them could hopefully return back to their "normal" life. Both demigods nodded to each other. They were going to get the job done. Annabeth just hoped that it wouldn't take one of their lives in the process._

"_Percy! Annabeth!" a voice cried out to the two tortured souls. It was Piper! Annabeth had never been happier to see a daughter of Aphrodite in all of her life. Heck, she would even take seeing Clarisse at this point._

_As both parties approached their side of the door, the sounds of monsters approaching their positions echoed around them. Percy and Annabeth had lost track of the monsters that they had encountered during their time in the deepest parts of hell. Sometimes, it was amazing that they even were able to escape some of their more deadly experiences. But even through it all, they were still alive and still together._

_When she pushed against the black, cold door, Annabeth felt the weight of the doors' power even more so than she did before. She cracked her eyes open and saw her beloved also struggle to close his side of the door. Even though she couldn't see them, she could her Jason and Nico fighting to keep the monsters away from Piper and Leo so that they could close their part of the doors as well. After what felt like hours, they had finally managed to almost close the doors completely. There was just enough room for a human to squeeze through._

_This was the part she had been dreading. She had been thinking for so long how could they close the doors and still remain together. But the cold truth was that it was impossible. One or both of them would have to stay behind. She turned to Percy and both nodded. They had talked about this predicament many times. But both had decided that neither would want to condemn the other to a place like this willingly. So, they would both stay. Oddly enough, Annabeth was okay with this. Just as long as she had Percy with her, she knew that she would be okay._

_As she turned back to finish the job, she felt the hairs on the back of her head rise. She jumped out of the way just into to dodge a spider string that was heading straight for her. She turned to see none other than Arachne smiling at her. As Annabeth prepared for fight, she realized that the spider monster was breathing just as hard as she was. Maybe with the doors so close to closing, the power of the doors was affecting everything around it. Maybe that's why it took a god to open them in the first place?_

_Annabeth looked down to see her feet beginning to sink. Gaea. She was trying to take her, take them both down to be sacrificed to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Percy pull himself out of his just forming quicksand trap and charge the spider woman. He had fought the creature too many times to allow her the victory of killing Annabeth now. Outmatched in fighting skill, Arachne turned into dust. But she was reforming rather quickly._

_Percy reached for Annabeth and pulled her out of her quicksand trap. She had felt as though her arm was almost pulled out of its socket by the time he got her out. She felt the cold hard ground underneath her feet. She looked down and realized that she had lost her shoes in the process. _

_Annabeth turn to her side of the door, ready to finish what she had started, when she was flipped around and kissed by Percy. He then pushed her towards the small crack they needed to close. She saw the sadness and regret in his eyes. _

_Caught off-guard, Annabeth stood there confused as to Percy's rash actions. Then she heard Percy say the last two words he would ever tell her._

"_I'm sorry." And with that, Percy struck Riptide into the ground. The world went in slow motion for Annabeth; so much so that she could see the awkward angle the blade was coming down in. _

_All blades had a weak spot. The best swords had weak points so hard to find that only the wielder and the creator of the weapon could possible know where it was. Percy knew Riptide's. And that little fact made Annabeth's mind almost shatter as she saw the blade break into pieces. Water flowed from the blade's impact point and Annabeth was flooded out through the Doors of Death and out of Tarturus. However, as she made it out to the other side, she heard the doors closed swiftly behind her. The water's pressure had closed the Doors of Death. _

_As the doors closed, all the monsters in the vicinity disintegrated into dust. Annabeth sputtered and looked around. She felt hot tears come to her eyes as she scanned the surrounding area. All she saw was Piper and Leo, both soaked from the wave that had pushed Annabeth out, and a confused Jason and Nico. No Percy in sight. And that was when she let the tears fall down._

* * *

Percy had saved her yet again. But this time, he had given his life to do it. The blade's return had only confirmed what they already suspected. When Riptide had appeared on Annabeth's dresser eight months ago, she thought that maybe he had survived. But after running to his cabin, she quickly realized that it was still empty.

She had brought the blade to Chiron, who had sadly said that blade was probably powerful enough to repair itself. But the fact that it did not return to its master's pocket could only prove that he was dead. He allowed Annabeth to keep the blade rather than put it back in the Big House's attic.

Annabeth reached inside her pocket and brought out the pen, her last physical connection to her love and hero, Percy Jackson. She couldn't take it anymore. Being strong. Having to play leader. Having to pretend that nothing was wrong when on the inside all she wanted to do was scream. She was spent. She pushed the pen in her face and wailed. Percy was gone and there was no one who could ever replace that hole she felt inside her heart.


End file.
